Online account systems generally require users to enter password information in order to access information stored at the account. It is common for users of these systems to have many such accounts, for example, for shopping, emailing, or banking. Accordingly, these users may tend to use the same password for multiple online accounts or use easy to remember passwords, which may be considered “weak.” Unfortunately, user's passwords are vulnerable to theft by third parties which misuse accounts in order to send out spam emails or steal personal information such as credit cards or other valuable information.
Some users may select or be provided with passwords which are somewhat more complicated and possibly difficult to remember. These “strong” passwords may require users to store passwords in a location convenient to their personal computer or to rely on their personal computer's password manager to pre-store passwords. However, these methods may become problematic where the user is using another computer which does not have a list of the user's passwords pre-stored.
Third parties attempting to steal passwords may gather account access information by using, for example malware. Some malware programs may use a key logger or packet sniffer to record usernames and passwords. The malware program may send this information to third parties, which may use the information to log into accounts and steal information. In another example, a user may unknowingly send a phishing site disguised as a legitimate web site, the user's username and password. Thus, protecting user passwords and establishing secure connections between network computers can assist in preventing the loss of information.
Some consumer electronic systems provide users passwords or PIN numbers in order to connect a first device to an online system by granting access to a second device. These systems require users to “enroll” in a program, for example to download videos, allowing the user to access the program from multiple locations. In one example, a user's television may display a PIN number. The user may log into an account at a web site and enter the PIN number at the web site. This will allow the television to access the user's online account. These systems involve quite a bit of manual work by the user, which may include reading and typing sometimes complicated PIN numbers.
Other systems allow users to make secure connections between two devices by “pairing.” For example, by taking pictures of quick response bar codes incorporating identification information, two devices may use this information to establish a secure connection between the devices.